Opinion & Commentary:
Birthright Israel: Point and counterpoint

Dispelling the myths
By Liran Kapoano
Feb. 15, 2008

Last August, I went on a Birthright Israel trip -- which was an incredibly moving experience that I would recommend to anyone who qualifies. A couple of months after I returned, I read some of the negative spin put on the trip by various North American publications; being that I come from an Israeli family, I'd like to offer a perspective on the trip that is not based on assumptions or preconceptions, but rather comes from the reality of Israeli life and experience.

Some suggest that this program is at best some kind of recruitment mission for the Zionist cause. At worst this was some kind of military recruitment. This, of course, is blatantly false. In addition to having gone on a similar trip myself, several of my friends have as well. To the best of my knowledge, not one of them has joined the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) or has been "coaxed" into joining any fight whatsoever.

Furthermore, much of North America has just been subjected to Israel Apartheid Week, and presenters in that anti-Israel indoctrination have sought to portray basic Jewish values as Zionist militancy. For example, they claim that Birthright participants are encouraged to marry Jews, raise Jewish children, act as ambassadors for Israel, or follow in their tour guides' footsteps by immigrating to Israel and fighting in the IDF.

It is, of course, absurd to portray the goal of the trip in this way. For starters, immigrants to Israel are not obligated to serve in the military if they are above military age. For those that are of military age, no one is ever forced into combat duty and many are exempt from any service at all. As for the allegations that participants are encouraged to have Jewish families -- how terrible! To think that a Jewish organization would want its participants and their descendants to stay Jewish!

Further adding to this portrayal of Birthright as a kind of propaganda mission, tour guides are depicted as over-the-top ultra-Zionist lunatics, who succeed in "convincing" all but a few of the participants of the validity of Israel as a Jewish state and, as some columnists have written, encourage them to become "born-again Jews."

But in reality, Birthright offers a range of programs that run the gamut from Orthodox to completely secular. In fact, the only thing the various trip organizers have in common is that they must have Israeli tour guides and five or 10 days spent with college or army age Israelis. They also must include tours of the Dead Sea, Masada, Jerusalem, and other major Israeli cities like Tel Aviv and Haifa. Finally, all Birthright tours must include uniform safety/security procedures and accommodations in three- or four-star hotels.

There is no religious pressure on participants at all. The program I went with, Mayanot, falls under the auspices of the Chabad movement. Our bus was comprised mostly of Jews with little to no Jewish education or background whatsoever. And while Chabad is an Orthodox organization, there was never a point when any of my fellow participants complained that they felt they were being pressured to become "born-again" anythings.

On the contrary, our tour guides (who were all Orthodox) were very considerate of the fact that our group had very little Jewish background. They took the time to answer all of our questions and any religious discussions or programs were optional. The only 'pressure' Mayanot can be accused of was that they gave us the opportunity to put on tefillin and have a bar/bat mitzvah at the Western Wall.

Watching my bus-mates have bar and bat mitzvahs for the first time at the age of 25, in Israel, at the holiest place in Judaism was incredibly emotional for me -- I can only imagine what it was like for those who actually experienced it. It was not however, mandatory and there were people who elected not to participate. Not once did I hear any ridicule or denigration of them or anyone else on my trip. Somehow, I doubt secular organizations exert more religious pressure on participants than Orthodox ones.

Furthermore, the Israeli peer group that we traveled with was comprised entirely of secular Jews. None of them could have been classified as Orthodox. They were, of course, proud Israeli Zionists who presented a positive view of their country, but they were by no means drones. They made no attempt to paint a utopian picture of Israel and freely spoke about many social, political, and religious topics (including the West Bank security fence and other Israeli/Palestinian issues) with me personally and with others on the bus.

To suggest that our opinions were somehow stifled or ignored is ludicrous. Every night after our daily activities, our tour guides and peers would stay up with us (often into the early morning) to openly and candidly answer any questions we had. And to suggest that the Birthright program ignores the Arab residents of Israel is also ridiculous. Our trip included a stay with Bedouins during which we were treated to Arab-style music, food, and legendary Bedouin hospitality.

This was all portrayed very positively and we were free to ask our Bedouin hosts any questions we had. We were left with the impression that while Israel is a Jewish state, there is a strong Arab presence that is very much a part of Israeli culture and society. This pluralistic view of what Israeli society can be was a refreshing change from the daily bombardment of media negativity we are subjected to when we are 6,000 miles away.

The flip side is that all this positive energy goes against everything the anti-Israel, pro-divestment crowd would have you believe. After all, how can Jews and Arabs get along if Israel has an apartheid policy of separation and ethnic cleansing? Therefore, it is no surprise that the anti-Israel crowd do whatever they can to de-legitimize programs like Birthright.

The anti-Israel contingent perpetually uses Holocaust-imagery to equate IDF actions to defend civilians with Nazi attempts to murder them. Programs like Birthright counter this hateful propaganda and educate Jews about the country (and people) this contingent seeks to destroy.

Birthright groups, like Peter Trainor's, that scream "Am Yisrael Chai!" from the hilltop at Masada will indeed hear the echoes scream it back.

It can be chilling to those who wish to stand against the Jewish state. They will likely -- and perhaps ought to -- hear six million souls screaming it back, reminding them that the very thing these Jews are fighting against is the safe haven they themselves lacked when they were abandoned by the world to the Nazi ovens. It's no wonder that self-hating Jews do everything they can to attack Birthright -- a program whose goals are to show Jews that they can be proud of their culture, history, religion, and state. A program like this goes against everything they stand for. It shakes them to their bones and exposes them for what they are.

Perhaps that echo of "Am Yisrael Chai" is the voice of every Jew that has died over the years to protect and defend that heritage and culture.

It is unlikely then, that those Jews that seek the undermining and eventual erosion of what the Jewish state of Israel stands will hear any voices at all.

More likely, the sound they hear screaming back at them will be their own conscience.